A Christian Girl On the Journey Of Life

love

Hello, friends! You have survived the first week of the new year! Yay! How has it been so far? My days have been pretty crazy as my second quarter of school ends this week and we are scrambling to have enough assignments in the grade book.

It’s that time again to reflect on the past year and make goals for the future. 2018 is going to be a big year for me, as it is the year that I graduate high school and enter the world of college. While I am very excited for this year, I know it’s going to include lots of scary and uncomfortable changes. But that’s what life is full of! So the best thing is to make this year a great year. You with me? Here are my 6 goals to make this year great.

1. Grow in my devotion to God.

Every year I have had a different theme representing who I wanted to be and focus on for the year. Last year, my theme was peace and the year before it was hope. This year, my theme is devotion. As I looked back on 2017, I noticed how my relationship with Him has faltered a bit due to doubt and personal struggles. What I realize now is that I was resisting God because I wanted so desperately to be in control of things in my life. But, I’m not in control, God is. This year, I want to work on growing closer to God and trusting in Him for my future.

2. Keep my family relationship strong.

My family isn’t perfect but they are wonderful and I love them. We are already seeing the stress that senior year brings but I don’t want that to hinder our family relationship. This year, I want to continue to keep our relationship strong, even while I’m at college.

3. Stay connected to my friends.

I have been so blessed to have great friends who are very involved in our community as well as each other. But that also means that we are constantly busy. While we may not be around all of the time, I still want to stay connected to my friends and keep my relationships with them.

4. Finish Senior year strong.

Senioritis is real. I didn’t realize how real it was until I got my first acceptance letter. Although there is a lot of pressure among my senior class to give up and stop caring now that I’ve been accepted to college, I need to continue doing my best work in class and outside of class. To do this I will:

Set priorities

Stay organized

Stay motivated

5. Invest in myself.

I believe that a healthy mind and body leads to healthy relationships and a happier life. This year, I want to really make an effort to invest in myself. This can include getting back into photography as a creative outlet, writing music as a way to de-stress, and learning to say no when I am stressed and in need of rest.

6. Invest in my blog.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you might have noticed that I took a couple of breaks this year. Part of that was because of my sanity, the other part being health-related. While I don’t know what this year will have in store for me, I want to put in a greater effort to be involved in this lovely blogging community. Specifically, I’d like to:

Host a giveaway!

Comment on 200 posts through the year.

and Host guests for collabs!

So that’s what my 2018 looks like! What are your goals for the New Year? Are there any things that you are really excited for this year?

Hey, guys! How are you? It’s been a while since my last Writing Wednesday entry so I thought I would share one this week. This one is all about memories. :)

I remember the day when we laughed until our sides hurt and when we screamed with joy and made funny faces. I remember the day when we spent hours talking in different accents and dancing around the kitchen. The day when, as I went about my work, you were there making life fun. In those few moments, we were free. Now that we are older, those days are fewer, but I’m looking forward to the day when we can do these things again; when we can laugh until our sides hurt and when we can scream with joy. I can’t wait until the day when we can spend hours talking in different accents and dancing around the kitchen. May these memories forever be in our minds and the hope forever in our hearts.

Hey, guys! So yesterday was the first day of Spring! YAY! If you know anything about me, you know that I LOVE Spring. The flowers, the weather, the patterns; everything is so beautiful this time of year! There are so many things to like about spring, I decided to make a list. So here are 25 things I love about spring.

Easter service at church!

Seeing everyone outside.

Sitting outside on the patio with a good book.

Baby animals!

Being about to put away the big winter coats.

Opening the windows to the fresh breeze.

Pulling out the shorts after a long stretch of winter.

Easter break with family and friends! How perfect is that? :)

Pastel colored everything!

Picnics by the lake complete with books, iced tea, and kites.

Bike rides down to the park.

The soft, fresh feeling in the air.

All of the beautiful blooming flowers! I mean just look at these;

Waking up to the birds. Such a beautiful sound. <3

Fresh vegetables and fruits!

Looking for four-leaf clovers in the backyard.

Travel opportunities.

Spring smells.

Rainy mornings.

The fresh green of the new leaves.

Beautiful weather.

Watching the clouds roll across the clear blue sky.

Summer on the horizon.

Tulips, tulips, and more tulips. :)

The sense of rebirth and beginnings that fill the air during springtime.

What do you love about spring? Thanks so much for reading! I hope you have a great day!

Two years ago a girl decided it was finally time for her to published her very first blog post. Two years later, she is still blogging and loves it to pieces. That girl is me.

Hey, everyone! Today is October 25th which means it’s my 2 year blogiversary! Yay! This blog has grown so much over the last two years and I can’t believe that I’ve made it this far.

First Steps

I started blogging because I loved writing and I wanted to try something new. When my friends started their blogs in the fall of 2014, I decided it was time to make my contribution to the WordPress feed. That’s when I started my blog, Life As A Homeschooled Teen. I posted my first blog post titled, “Welcome One, Welcome All“. The posts following that one were sporadic and I wasn’t getting very many views but I pressed on hoping that someday, I would reach 100 followers.

In 2015, I struggled with coming up with posts that I felt were “worthy” to post. While trying to figure something out, I came up with the “To-Bake List” which is getting more and more popular. I also started my “Monthly Favorites” posts which I love posting because they help me to take a minute to remember what I did instead of flying through life with no end point. If that makes any sense.

Then I Decided I Wanted A Change

I was tired of being stuck with writer’s block and wanted to change. The 2016 New Year was a perfect place to start. I started a notebook with hundreds of blog post ideas and made calendars to keep me on track. My goal was to post 2-3 every week which I’ve pretty much kept up since then.

I posted about school, hosted a Q&A, talked about my Spring Break,and wrote letters to my sisters. Basically, I started posting things I was passionate about and loved to talk about. Eventually, my views shot up and I reached 100 followers in May. I celebrated with a giveaway (which I will hold again once I reach 250 followers).

In August, I decided to go back to school and Life As A Homeschooled Teen turned into Happily Abi. I redesigned my blog and also started up a Google+ page. Then I wrote a mini-series on my homeschooling experience. Just 5 short months after I reached 100 followers, I reached 200!

Two Years Strong

I am so excited about everything that has happened on my blog. It’s been a long journey but it was worth every minute. I wanted to thank you all for all of your support and encouragement. I couldn’t have gotten here without you! And of course, I must thank my Lord and Savior for giving me this gift in the first place. Many, many thanks! :)

I also need to thank my mother who is AMAZING and cleared out her whole day just to make me a tart and decorate the kitchen to celebrate these two years. Gah, she’s the best! :D

Again, thanks to all of you for everything! I hope that you’ll continue this journey with me. Love to all!

Hey, everyone! I was technically sorta nominated by Maha from FunHouse Vision. I love love love fall so when I saw this tag, I knew I had to post my version of it. Before I start, be sure to check out Maha’s blog here and her version of this tag here!

The Questions

What signifies the start of Fall for you?Fall begins when we bring out the candy corn and apple cider.

What is your favourite frugal Fall activity?Sitting by the fireplace or sitting outside on the porch.

What is your favourite makeup look come fall weather?I don’t really wear makeup but I think darker shadow and a darker lip can create a great fall look. Like this one:

Tag! You’re It!

I tag anyone who wants to complete this tag! Totally fun. If you love fall, you should do it.

I thought I would try something different today and make the main part of my post centered. Let me know how you like it! Anywhos,be sure to check out Maha’s blog if you haven’t already and have a great and fantastic day! :)

*please note: none of these pictures are mine*

How did you like the tag? What do you love about fall? Let me know in the comments below! I would love to hear from you!

Hey, everyone! So ever since I posted this big news post, I’ve gotten questions pertaining to homeschooling and my big switch. So I decided to create a mini-series and answer all your questions. This is part 2- 25 Things I loved about being homeschooled.

I absolutely loved being homeschooled and everything that came with it.

You don’t have to wake up early every morning.

But you have the option of waking up early to get everything done before 11:00 so you can have a free day.

No school lunches – Homemade meals are the best!

You can learn what you are actually interested in.

Field trips to the coffee shop! Any time of the day.

No dress code! (Although I could only wear my pjs on Fridays).

Birthdays are holidays.

Hot chocolate and homework in front of the fireplace? Yes, please!

You can spend more time with family.

There is no busy work.

You can take naps when you really need it.

You don’t have to rush in the mornings!

PE = doing pilates in the comfort of your home WITHOUT the uniforms.

Did I mention that I didn’t have school on Fridays?

You’re not confined to a classroom.

There’s freedom to go on fun trips in the middle of the school week.

There’s more time to do the things you love to do.

Homeschooling in high school gives you opportunities for great scholarships for college.

Never getting stuck in traffic.

Three, four, or even five-day weekends. Yes, it’s possible!

Graduating early is totally an option.

You can learn the way you understand.

There are lots of opportunities to travel.

It’s the best way to learn how to be self-motivated.

You can do fun things like starting a blog!

Homeschooling was awesome and I absolutely loved it. If you have any questions or a suggestion for this series, email me: happilyabi@gmail.com

Hey, everyone! So I have a dilemma… the calendar tells me it’s fall but the weather is so far from being fall-like that it actually feels like summer. Not only that, but my school is freezing. So here’s my question, what am I supposed to wear?! Let me know if you have any suggestions for me! While you’re thinking about that, here are 25 things I LOVE about Fall!

And so it ends; your birthday week. 13 years old and finally a teenager! You have many adventures ahead of you, so many things to look forward to. But with those adventures, come trials and things will get hard. Just keep being your happy self and I think you’ll be fine. :)

One of the things that I’ve always loved about you is that you’re motivated and persistent. You aim high and dream big dreams and that’s amazing! Never lose that. I fully believe that you will be able to accomplish anything you set your mind to. And while I still struggle getting out of bed every morning, you are ready to jump up and get things done. I think we all need a little more of that haha. :)

But I think the thing that I love most about you is that you still love your family. I know that even when I’m off to college, I can count on you to call and visit and be the one to randomly show up to my class just to run up behind me and scare me. I don’t know what life will bring us in the future, but I know that God has a plan for you. An amazing, wonderful, incredible plan.

Like this:

Do you ever just stop and think of all the people who love you? Not like “I know them so it counts” love. I’m talking about the “I will drop anything and everything to come help you” type of love. Maybe your list would start like:

Mom

Dad

Sister

Brother

And… That’s it. And then you start to think and you come up with a few more.

Grandmom

Opa

Oma

Nanny

Dog

And then you’re like “Oh yeah!” And you add 20 more people.

BFF

Aunt

Uncle

Friends

Family friends

Sunday School leader

Nephews

Nieces

Cousins

Teachers

Pastors

And then you’re like “Wow! That’s a lot!” But there are tons of more people who love you, people you don’t even know or have never met but they are praying for you and they love you! That’s a lot of love! It can’t get better than this, can it? Yes, it can! God loves you. How much? Like, a lot. More than everyone you know could ever love you all put together!

Psalm 36:5 says that God’s love is steadfast and extends to the heavens. That’s REALLY far which means that God loves you a lot! I am so happy that we can go to God for everything and anything, knowing that He loves us and will always be there for us! It’s just one of the many things that I’m thankful for. :)

Let me know what you are most thankful for and don’t forget to follow! :)